I must admit that some sections of the Bible are not as exciting as others. Whether it be a long series of genealogies, the Old Testament sacrifices from the Book of Leviticus, or the territorial allotments from the Book of Joshua, these accounts, on first blush, can seem downright boring. However, since this is God’s Word, we must take a step back and realize that if God spent so much time in sharing these accounts, they must be pretty important to God and have much that they can teach us. So, before we pass judgment on why we think these accounts are boring, maybe we should dig a little deeper to see just what God is trying to show us.
Specifically, let’s look at the three examples I shared above to see why they are not only, not boring, but exciting to read, when we approach them with the right perspective.
Genealogies
The Bible is full of long lists of genealogies. We see these especially in the books of Genesis, 1 Chronicles, and with respect to Jesus, in Matthew and Luke. Rather than just looking at these long lists of names we ought to realize that in Genesis we can begin to trace the descendants of Adam and Eve forward to Jesus and get excited that we have the promised offspring who will one day defeat Satan.
In 1 Chronicles I love what Nancy Guthrie shares: “One day our Greater Joshua will read out the inheritance that will be ours in the new heaven and the new earth, and we won’t be bored! Surely we will breathlessly say, ‘All of this for us?’ First Chronicles includes chapter after chapter of genealogies that begin with Adam and stretch to the descendants of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi — the kingly and priestly tribes — who made up most of those who returned to the land after exile. The genealogies in 1 Chronicles help us focus on where history is headed — the son of David, seated on the throne of the universe.”1
And when we read the genealogies of Jesus from Abraham onward in (Matthew 1) we can appreciate how God uses all kinds of sinners (just like us) in His lineage – from a prostitute in Rahab, to a murderer in David, and a serial adulterer in Solomon. Looking at it this way should give all of us hope that we can be accepted into the family of God.
Old Testament Sacrifices
For God to spend seven chapters in the Book of Leviticus (chapters 1-7) detailing instructions for the offering of sacrifices tells me that God’s wrath is great but His mercy is great too. We can see through these various sacrifices that God required a blood sacrifice for sin to pay our sin debt that we could never pay. And as I now read these chapters I see that they all point forward to the once and for all blood sacrifice of Jesus – the lamb of God. God’s wrath required payment for sin in Leviticus, but His mercy, in Christ, offers pardon.
Territory Allotments
Nancy Guthrie again adds her interesting insight here: “In Joshua 13–21 we read the geographic details of the land in Canaan given to each tribe. Because we are unfamiliar with the ancient geography, it can be a boring list to us. But if we were familiar with these places and with these people, we could better imagine the sense of wonder among God’s people as each tribe was given a huge amount of territory in the Promised Land. Likely the people of each tribe would have looked at each other and said, ‘All of this for us?’ The allotment of territories to tribes in the land of Canaan gives us a preview of what it will be like when our greater Joshua, Jesus, leads us into the eternal Promised Land where we will inherit all that God has promised.”2
In conclusion everything in the Bible is important and can be exciting if we approach it with the right set of lenses. We read: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16). Thus, we see that “all Scripture” is profitable in so many ways. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is boring. And the more we fall in love with Jesus, we will find that even the so-called boring parts of the Bible can be dynamic and delightful!